• About

digwithdorris.com

digwithdorris.com

Tag Archives: street signs

Japan

17 Wednesday Apr 2019

Posted by digwithdorris in Garden Visits, Uncategorized

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

cherry blossom, Garden Visits, Japan, pink, Sakura, street signs, Tokyo

I have just come back from a holiday in Japan, timed perfectly for the blossom season. Japan is a place I have always wanted to visit, perhaps thanks to anecdotes from Dad Dorris about his business trips in the early 1980s and certainly due to the gardens and a dash of ‘Lost in Translation’ as well.

We started in Tokyo Shinjuku-Ku district (above) where it was bitterly cold and grey. A smart district, clean and high rise. No street eating, drinking or smoking allowed. There’s a good idea Mrs May. We then moved to Kyoto for ten days. Further south, we used Kyoto as our base to visit Hiroshima and Miyajima. We then returned to a different area of Tokyo, Ikebukuro before returning home.

Before we set off my sister and I thought we might need to book a guide to help us navigate the city but in practice it was not needed at all. Destination signs on the metro and train network are helpfully translated into English and announcements are also given in English. At various times locals stopped to ask if they could help us find our way, one lady even leaving her place in the bus queue to help guide us. Without exception the locals were friendly, polite and happy to help.

We used taxis, metro, buses, trams, a ferry, the bullet and our feet, walking over 75!miles and it was fantastic. The bits we saw were fascinating. I can only describe the trip as like a weekend city break but for much longer, so not relaxing but completely absorbing and delightful and very exhausting!

You may not be surprised to learn that I have rather a lot of photographs of blossom and I have posted some of these Here already.

One thing I hadn’t anticipated was how much the Japanese embrace the blossom season. They party under the trees and merchandise is blossom themed.

Stationary, worthy of a post in its own right, food and sweet products, cola bottles, entrances to shops, all distinctly blossom themed.

The cleaning team waiting to go through the bullet train before departure. Actually this could be their uniform all the time but, you see my point.

Even the cars are blossom coloured. Ok may be I am getting carried away.

There are castles, temples and shrines to see and enjoy. The cities are densely built and high rise, full of convenience stores and vending machines and sushi bars and restaurants. There are neon lights, millions of people and I loved it all. Tokyo National Museum was fabulous, full of exquisite treasures, beautifully displayed. As I am no travel guide I do not intend to talk about any of these in detail other than to say that they are very interesting and fascinating and I wished I had time to see it all.

I shall share some pictures of the gardens another time but here are just a couple of the signs which amused me.

And finally

On that note, I shall sign off here. Thanks for reading. D.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • More
  • Pocket

Like this:

Like Loading...

Blogs I Follow

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 307 other subscribers

No Instagram images were found.

in the press

  • 52 Week Photo Challenge
  • 52 week photo challenge
  • a week of flowers
  • Before and After
  • Christmas
  • Christmas decorations
  • Colour
  • End of month view
  • Garden Visits
  • in a vase on Monday
  • Plant Nurseries
  • press this: other blogs
  • Saturday smile
  • Silent Sunday
  • six on saturday
  • Thank goodness it's Friday
  • The nag list/ jobs to do
  • Top ten blooms
  • Tuesday View
  • Uncategorized
  • Wordless Wednesday

Instagram

No Instagram images were found.

Blog at WordPress.com.

Outer Isles Gardening

Gardening in a Gale

We are out in the garden ...

Living life in the countryside - growing flowers in Warwickshire

One Man And His Garden Trowel

There's always room for one more plant.

Nature Journeys

clover and ivy

County Gardening

Gardening in Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada

Pádraig de Búrca - Grow Write Repeat

Glebe House Garden

My week to week gardening diary

Karen Pezzimenti Photography

Gardens at Coppertop

learning, growing, and learning more -- life on the Olympic Peninsula

Piglet in Portugal

A Creative Spirit in Portugal

Hairbells and Maples

Gardening, exploring, photography, Six on Saturday

  • Follow Following
    • digwithdorris.com
    • Join 307 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • digwithdorris.com
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.

    %d bloggers like this: